“home”
soft
yet strong
colorless
vast and forever
life-giving
soothing, spirited, sustaining
cleansing
whilst self-purifying
endlessly yielding
yet remaining true to its nature
water, the ever-present
mother to our lives
love lessons
“softer”
quite suddenly dark clouds form
and a harsh wind rushes in
what, an instant ago,
was a sweet disposition
is now sour and sullen
through the lens of this darkness
i find faults,
now even my loved ones seem blameworthy
i have entered the state of
the Great Separation
where i stand, alone
defensive, self-righteous, filled with self-pity
if i give theater
to this temporary state
we all suffer
it is my journey
to find the way back home
from exclusion
to inclusion
remaining open,
yielding to the gift of life
takes practice and skill
with mindfulness
patience, tenderness
and humor
as companions on the playground of life
love is rediscovered
cliché
“sunset”
“Be here now”
“Live in the Moment”
it has been said
by so many and so often
that it hardly causes
pause or ponder anymore
just, the quick mental:
“yeah, right, got it”
then,
forgotten.
instantly.
how could these few words
cause real change?
in me. in you. in the world.
what does it take?
what does it take
for a momentary perception
to change our mind?
it has to push through
the weight
of all our conditions
and conditionings
it has to be seen
for the beauty of itself
for the immensity
how i wish
for you and me
for our world
to truly be
with the never-ending beauty
of the present moment
desires
“lucky dog?”
we all
want
to get
high
what causes these
high states
varies
as do the routes
taken to get there
a little study of resistance
“a little study of resistance”
this morning i find myself pondering
the bars of my cage
approaching them curiously
witnessing what happens when i ask myself:
could you give away one of your most prized possessions to a stranger today?
would you wear a bright pink wig going out shopping this afternoon?
could you have all your interactions wordlessly,
only communicating with your eyes and gestures?
for today, could you entertain the notion that everyone that didn’t share your views
was equally as right as you?
oh, and I watch my mind squirm
looking for loopholes
declaring that: “this is stupid!”
that i couldn’t possibly do this
what would others think and say of me
rationalizing myself right back into avoidance
into my safe, comfortable cage
isn't this fascinating?
the mind’s protective cage
this then, just for today
is a little study of resistance
a playful experiment
best done with a wink and a smile to self
space
“the space between”
vast
open
sky
space
surrounding
galaxies
and atomic particles
between
the notes of a melody
and our fleeting feelings
between
one fading thought
and the next
ever-present
space
the canvas to creation
subtle
empty
all-embracing
stillness
seeing the world
“unwinding”
you, dear one,
meet yourself in these words
always, you see a mirror
as you look into the world
reflecting back to you
your current state
of judgement
or lack thereof
every book you ever read
every music you ever danced to
every lover you held in your arms
you saw yourself
in the constantly changing balance
of resisting and opening to life’s tides
how i wish, for you and me
patience and gentleness on our journey
loved
“morning dew”
listen to the caress of the wind
to sunlight and dew
to the great harmonies
of this beautifully balanced world
it all is here for you
the web of fire, air, water and earth
right now it loves you
into being
in the strangest of places
“a quiet echo”
a true story
of a mindset altering moment
while traveling
on a lone highway
i encountered unexpected
bumper sticker wisdom:
“thinking is the box”
it read
now that inspires
some non-thought
just for one day...
“be together”
let’s go on a journey together
and ask ourselves…
if we would've been born
in a different country
to a different family
would we have turned out
like we are today?
would we hold
the same views and ways
of perceiving the world?
it seems highly unlikely
doesn’t it?
our views
are products
of our conditionings
it doesn’t matter
what particular views
have made their home in us
what we will do
for our views
matters
will we go to war for them?
get upset and condemn others
if they don’t share our views?
curious isn’t it?
views do not care
about you and me
about the well-being of our bodies
or about our friendships
dear one, just for one day
let’s set aside our views,
even our most treasured ones,
and be together
mistaken identity
“liminal”
often have i mistaken
the act of thinking
as the true nature of myself
mistakenly
have i identified with
the narrator within
that curates
the world
for me
the endless chatter
of daydreams and analytical thoughts,
of likes and dislikes
recurring by pure habit of mind
would it not be wise
to take a good look
at the nature of thinking
to behold the comings and goings
and quality of thoughts
now on to the “chicken and the egg”
do i create my thoughts
or do thoughts create me?
can you predict what next
will occupy your mind?
unknown
“life”
there is the known
and the unknown
and the unknown unknown
how to even wrap the mind around that?
with humor and lightness
i try
and begin pondering
what i do not know
the time, the place and cause of my death?
why consciousness exists?
what caused the universe and life to be?
how much I can trust my senses?
how much I can trust my memories?
the realms outside the spectrum of my senses?
why I perceive the world in a dualistic way?
why life unfolds to the mind as a continual string of now-ness?
the reason for the uniqueness of everything -
be it matter or this moment, nothing is ever quite the same?
well, that’s just a wee fraction
of the known unknown …
how does it live within?
Welcome! Welcome to the Great Mystery!
if I can catch myself
“hello life”
sometimes I get in a rut
thinking of all the things I have to DO
thinking of plans, projects and problems
complicating my beautiful life
if I can catch myself just before entering
the hamster wheel of runaway thoughts
take a breath, soften my eyes, soften my lips
then often my mind too will soften and slow
a space opens -
this is the cue to contemplate
the cause of the universe, orbits of galaxies,
evolution of life, the design of the human body…
faced with marvel
my mind can accept
that it finds itself in a mystery greater
than thoughts can comprehend
and gives me a break …
until the next time
seasons
“… of the heart”
by what grace do we live?
by what grace do we thrive?
in the blink of an eye
life changes
we are called to
adapt to a new normal
each experience giving us
another opportunity to grow
the mystery of grace remains
not to be solved
but to be companioned
we can
“celebrate, marvel and trust”
can we
celebrate life together
with the spring wind in the air
can we
pluck wonder from the cosmos
marveling, shoulder to shoulder, drunk on life
can we
trust in our inherent goodness
as sisters and brothers
can we
share discovered beauty
like offerings of juicy fruit
to each others soft lips
we can
wishes
“joy in the moment”
wishes
still work
their magic
silently
effortlessly
moving between us
do you feel them
as they reach you?
wherever you are…
may you be happy
may you see beauty
may you live peacefully
may you love and feel loved
may you be safe
may you delight in the weather on your skin
and the ground beneath your feet
may wonder be your companion
may you be present
for your life
wings
“wings”
does my heart have to harden with fear and pain
when meeting the violent and vile?
the poor, or the wretched?
outcasts of society can be found far and near
whether face to face,
or by mere hearsay
every time i witness darkness
does my mind and have to recoil?
how narrow, ever shrinking
life then becomes, cutting myself off from kin
building the cage of self confinement
who holds the keys to the
responses of my heart and mind?
who has my wings…
touch of life
“ a quiet pause”
Love, this right here
this very moment is it
this is where the magic happens,
the connection to the thread of life
the raw, the great quiet …
however it unfolds
not somewhere down the road,
nor long ago - life is here
wanting to be touched
so make a clearing in the jumble of self
open, still, courageous, patient
sense the touch of life
where are my manners?
“hey, you!”
there’s been a party going on
within me, all my life
guests streaming in through my open door,
day and night, bringing friends along
Doubt has come to visit
Fear paid her respects
Joy lingered and
Love left her scarf behind
i have to admit,
i have been a most absentminded host
daydreaming and preoccupied
with visitors past, and those yet to come
that i have rarely noticed
who’s sitting at my table now
well, well, . . .
where are my manners?
may i bring some fresh libations,
pull up a chair and listen well
for a good heart to heart
morning air
“spring stirs”
morning air brings
in the spring
the land stirs and dances
to the music of change
a meeting
of old and new
in fullness the land receives
and in fullness the land releases
following suit
i rejoice
